BJP worker’s murder in Kannur: 12-hr bandh in Kerala today

BJP activist Remith was hacked to death in the home town of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan within 48 hours of the murder of a CPI(M) activist and toddy shop worker Mohanan (40) by a six-member gang at Pathiriyad in Kannur district.

Following the brutal killing of a 25-year-old BJP party activist in Pinarayi in Kannur a day ago, the BJP has callled 12-hour statewide bandh in Kerala. Early, media reports said no untoward incident was reported in any part of the state, including the politically sensitive northern district of Kannur, where there is heavy police patrolling.

BJP activist Remith was hacked to death in the home town of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan within 48 hours of the murder of a CPI(M) activist and toddy shop worker Mohanan (40) by a six-member gang at Pathiriyad in Kannur district.

Remith’s body will be brought from Kozhikode Medical College Hospital after postmortem to Kannur and will be kept at Thalassery new bus stand for public to pay homage around 10.30 AM before cremation. This is the second hartal in Kannur district within 3 days as the CPI(M) had observed a hartal in protest against the murder of their worker.

IGP Northern Range, Dinendra Kashyap said over 2,000 police personnel were mobilised in Kannur. Those who had gone on leave were asked to report for duty, he told PTI.

There is simmering tension and more police personnel have been deployed at places where the body will be kept for public homage, he said.

Meanwhile, police have registered cases against 10 CPI(M) workers in connection with the attack on Remith. A special squad under DYSP (Administration) T P Renjith has been formed to investigate the case.

Police have made special arrangements to take patients, who had come by trains from various parts of the state for treatment at the Regional Cancer Centre Hospital in the state capital. BJP activists will be taking out a march to the Secretariat at 11 am. Examinations, which were to be conducted today by Kerala, Kannur, Calicut and Cochin universities, have been postponed due to the strike.

Reacting to the killing, BJP National President Amit Shah had tweeted: “Attacks on BJP karyakartas in CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s home constituency is a matter of grave concern and smacks of political vendetta”.

“Chavassery Uttaman, Remith’s father was similarly killed in 2002, his mother suffered serious injures when his house was attacked recently”, Shah tweeted.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had said the violence in Kerala has been started by the RSS-BJP combine itself and blaming the state’s ruling party for the same is “total fabrication” of facts.

Vijayan had on Wednesday hit out at the RSS for the growing violence in the state which he alleged was with the support of BJP government at the Centre.